Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto. If I did own Naruto though, I'd be rich and Naruto would be dating Hinata right now during the manga and the series. I wish I owned Hinata though. She's cute, both 12 year old and 15 year old versions of her
Summary: .AU. Naruto balances Nin, Gen, and Tai jutsu with the kuro, aka, and aoi doujutsu, which he acquires after reading the forbidden scroll of seals after his second failed attempt at graduation.
Chapter 2: of Green beasts and Survival Exams
A/N: Paragraph four, Chapter 2 of this fic explains how or/and why Naruto graduated earlier than his classmates, who were in the same year as him. If you have read the epic fic "Beasts" by saraki22 then you may have read this explanation. I apologize if what you will read seems to be plagiarized from saraki22's fic. And if saraki22 is reading this, then I apologize profusely. Thank you, now read on...
A/N2: Edited April 1, 2006. 5:12 PM. Re-Edited April 10, 2006 10:13:20 AM
Begin Chapter.
After an episode of chasing, angsting, and taunting, Naruto beat Mizuki Black and Blue with Kage Bunshin.
"I think I overdid it...NOT!"
Iruka gave Naruto his own hitai-ate to him as a sign of his graduation, and then promptly lectured him about the seriousness of finally becoming a ninja of the leaf. Instead of tuning out his sensei, he absorbed the entire lecture and nodded at specific points. After a couple of hours, Iruka finally finished.
"Well then Naruto, as a gift for your graduation, you can ask me anything you want." For the first time since he knew the blonde fox Naruto's face pondered his answer for five minutes and then spoke up.
"Well, for starters I'm going to need some new clothes." looking down his attire he shook his head. "If I'm going to do out of town missions, I don't want to be a moving target. I also need some scrolls on Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu, just basic genin stuff, and oh yeah, a few scrolls with chakra control exercises on them, from genin to jounin, and some basic elemental jutsu scrolls, some practical jutsus for everyday use, and regular offensive jutsus..." Naruto then noticed the silence from his teacher, turning his head to Iruka he saw that the Chuunin's eyes were narrowed.
"Ok you...who are you and what did you do with the real Naruto?" Naruto then sweatdropped then shouted with a controlled volume. "It's still me Iruka-sensei!" Iruka winced somewhat at the loud volume of his student, and then laughed nervously. "Eheheh, sorry Naruto...it's just that you were acting so..."
"...Normal? Mature? Serious?" Naruto interrupted expectantly. "…I wanted to say 'weird'." At this comment Naruto frowned slash pouted. Iruka chuckled and commented on how juvenile his look was. A second later Iruka stopped his taunting and stood up, sensing several chakra signatures. Naruto somehow detected them and stayed on alert behind his sensei. A squad of ANBU appeared over Mizuki's unconscious form. One of the ANBU stepped forward and spoke up.
"We were informed by Hokage-sama that the scroll of seals was returned to his office sometime ago, and stated that it was the Chuunin sensei Mizuki, was the one who tricked Uzumaki Naruto into stealing the scroll of seals for him." Iruka and Naruto nodded. "Yes, that's about right sir." Naruto said as the ANBU turned his masked face on him, while the other squad members bound Mizuki in preparation of sending him to ANBU Prison, where Ibiki was waiting for Mizuki to be 'interviewed'.
"However, The Hokage wishes to speak to the two of you, together. Report to the Hokage tower at 2PM tomorrow." Iruka and Naruto nodded as the ANBU disappeared, taking Mizuki with them.
Naruto then turned to his sensei. "Ne, Iruka-sensei, can I walk you to the hospital? You really need those wounds of yours to be healed." Iruka then grinned as he shook his head. Putting a hand on Naruto's shoulders, he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry Naruto, the medic-nins will patch me up so that I'll be able to return to the academy tomorrow. Right now, you need to go home now and sleep, because the team rosters will be announced tomorrow."
Naruto nodded at his sensei's suggestion and said farewell, his goggles still on his hands. Iruka watched the boy, now an adult. Leave.
"Naruto...you never cease to surprise me..." He smiled as he shuffled towards Konoha general hospital. Wincing at the giant-shuriken wound on his back
"So he said he wanted some new clothes and some scrolls...well, my most excellent student of all won't be shortchanged in terms of that department!"
He chuckled as he thought of what clothes would be fashionable, but at the same time functional enough so that Naruto can fight in them without it being damaged so easily. His thoughts about Naruto occupied him all the way to the hospital.
Meanwhile Sandaime was currently looking at the scroll's last note, which now has a footnote that says: "The savior of Konoha has been found, tested, and acknowledged. It is now up to the current Hokage to ensure that his growth will not be stunted, nor hindered. This is for the safety and future of Konoha. We four have given you, the current Hokage of Konoha, the power to make sure that the savior will not encounter problems during his training. His trials are just beginning, and the fate of the known Shinobi world, rests on his shoulders. Along with his other burdens, this will not be easy for you or for him."
Under said footnote were the Kanji of Sho, Ni, San, and Yon, along with a date and time when the note in the scroll was read. After reading the note, Sarutobi sighed in defeat. The Third Hokage resolving to sleep on it and to talk to both Naruto and Iruka tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a long day, for all three of them.
Next day...
Sarutobi currently looked at the roster of graduating genins. With Naruto's rather early graduation, there were now 28 fresh graduates for the Jounins to handle. This morning, he held an emergency meeting with the council to discuss the matter of Naruto stealing the forbidden scroll of seals. With the ANBU and Iruka's supporting report, Naruto was found innocent of the charges. Not that it mattered to some of the council's members who were out for the blonde fox's blood. He stayed quiet as he waited for today's meeting with the Jounins, discussing this year's potential genin.
Naruto's alarm clock blared at exactly six thirty am. He then blearily sat up from his bed and pressed the snooze button. Yawning loudly, he woke up as his feet touched the cold wooden floor. He was smiling as he remembered the events of yesterday. He then removed his blanket and jumped up.
"Yosh! Today I'm going to be a genin!" he said, adjusting his volume so he won't wake up his grumpy neighbors. Shrugging out of his pajamas and his gopher nightcap, he grabbed a towel and headed over the bathroom. After a refreshing shower, he went over to his closet and picked out something to wear.
Now, contrary to popular belief, Naruto doesn't have a closet full of orange jumpsuits. Sure, he had four or five pairs, but even the 'dead last' prankster knows that orange isn't that 'stealthy' of a color. Pushing said orange clothes to the back of the closet, he picked up a pair of dark red pants, which already had a strap for his kunai and shuriken holsters on both thighs, along with strategically placed pockets for holding more Shinobi gear, with a black belt for holding utility pouches. The pants were somewhat loose and ended just above his ankles.
After that came a muscle shirt of the same color, which had sleeves that covered most of his upper arms, reaching just above the elbows. It also had a few pockets for holding ninja gear, and a few scrolls. After that he picked a midnight blue vest that had straps to hold a kodachi, a ninja-to, or a full-sized katana without the strings on them, as well as a few places to store other weapons and scrolls.
He then picked up a large roll of fighting bandages in a sky blue color, bandaging his exposed skin where his clothes did not reach; he paid special attention on his upper arms as he bandaged the Kanji of the Hokages. He then adjusted his usual Shinobi gear, kunai and shuriken holster, and utility pouch, on the right places. Securing his hitai-ate to his forehead, he proceeded to make his ramen breakfast. Checking carefully if his milk was expired before drinking a glass. Grabbing his frog wallet, which he fondly named as Gama-chan, he locked the door to his apartment with 30 minutes to spare, until the bell signaling the start of the ninja academy's session for the day, rings.
As he walked briskly, he ignored the cold and hate-filled stares he was getting from the villagers, even though some were surprised that he was not shouting about and making mischief, along with his new attire. Some of his classmates called out to him, asking why he had a hitai-ate already. He just simply said he graduated earlier than expected, gave them a half-grin, before leaving them dumbstruck. That was when some of them noticed his new clothes. Some of his classmates didn't even notice him as he passed them by, because of his new attire and demeanor, along with the hitai-ate.
As he entered the academy grounds he suddenly found his 'rival', Uchiha Sasuke, staring at him. Tagging along with him was his loudest fan girls, Haruno Sakura and Yamanaka Ino. Sasuke looked at him with an appraising glare, and then started to speak in a condescending tone.
"What's with the attire dobe? Wanting a little more attention? And from whom did you steal that hitai-ate? Did you grab that from some novelty store?" Naruto stared at his rival with cold eyes, and let out an unearthly growl. Making the fan girls behind him to flinch.
"For your information teme, I got this forehead protector fair and square, it's rightfully mine. I took the graduation exam a year earlier because it was within my right to do so." At this the three displayed confused expressions, though Sasuke recovered pretty fast, replacing it with his cold look. Haruno Sakura barged in on the conversation.
"You're lying! There's nothing in the graduation exam rules that says you can take the test earlier!" Ino piped in. "Yeah! If there was a rule like that, Sasuke-kun would have graduated earlier than all of us!" Naruto looked at the two fan girls and snorted a laugh, before turning his back at them.
"You'd think I'd lie about that? Shows how much you three know, especially you Haruno...early graduation is a written rule on the academy. It just isn't mentioned on the official academy pamphlet. To take the graduation exam earlier, you have to have permission from both your chuunin-sensei, AND your parents. This is so you don't lose confidence if you fail, that is also why genin graduation is only allowed when a student turns 12.
Since I'm an orphan, I don't have anyone taking care of me, and since I live alone as well, I'm my own guardian. If you don't believe me, why don't you ask Iruka-sensei yourselves? And oh...the graduation exams ended yesterday, so you can't graduate this year. I have to talk to some of our classmates before I leave, so I'll see you three later..." Naruto thought for a moment "...or maybe not... "
He walked away from them, as he stuck out his tongue. The still academy students turned away, each to their own thoughts.
"That dobe...graduating earlier than me...heh! Let's see how he fares out there, yeah...he won't last a month as a ninja..."
"I wonder if what that Naruto said was true, he was always trying to trump Sasuke-kun, so this might be another prank, yeah! Just another prank!"
"Iruka-sensei never said there was a way you can graduate earlier on the academy rules...this must be another trick of his." Inner Sakura added her two-cents, while wringing a plushie's neck, resembling Naruto in his usual orange jumpsuit 'hell yeah! It's just another trick! When I get my hands on that Naruto no BAKA! Shannarooo!' After a minute of mind silence they stuck their chin up, their minds synchronized with one thought.
"Let's see if what that dobe/idiot/baka said was true, I'm going to ask Iruka-sensei..."
Naruto then noticed his friends lounging around some benches over a small hill rise; Nara Shikamaru was as usual, looking up the clouds. Akimichi Chouji was eating chips, while Inuzuka Kiba had Akamaru on his head. Aburame Shino was close by on one of the tree branches, talking to one of his kikai bugs, while Hyuuga Hinata was sitting under the tree Shino was sitting on. Akamaru barked and Kiba looked up, a little surprised at Naruto's 'new look'.
"Hey loudmouth, what's with the new outfit?" Hearing Kiba's voice, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, and Hinata looked at Naruto, with Hinata blushing as he stared at his new attire.
"He...h-he's l-look-king m-much more h-hand-s-some than usual..." Naruto waved at his classmates as he approached.
"Ohayou Kiba, Akamaru, Shikamaru, Chouji, Shino, Hinata." He was met with a bark from Akamaru, a nod from Shino and Shikamaru, a wave from Chouji, and a shy greeting from Hinata.
"O-Oha-you, N-Naruto-kun..." she said quietly as she twiddled her fingers together. Naruto nodded at her greeting, then turned his attention back to Kiba
"Yo dog breath, I was just coming over here." Naruto explained as he walked closer to the group. That was when the five focused on his hitai-ate.
"When did you graduate Naruto?" Shino said in a steady voice. Naruto grinned at Shino's acknowledgement.
"Yesterday, due to...extenuating circumstances, they let me graduate earlier than expected." Kiba looked wide-eyed and blurted out his words.
"N-no way! There's no way Iruka sensei let you graduate early!" Naruto gave Kiba a slightly annoyed look, and revealed the requirements for early graduation. After his explanation, Shino nodded his understanding, as well as Shikamaru, who sighed while still looking up at the clouds
"Do you realize that early graduation means an early troublesome life for you Naruto? An early start as a ninja will just get you killed. Are you really prepared for a troublesome position like that?" He looked pointedly at the blonde boy, while Hinata mentally agreed on his musings. She was saddened that she won't be able to see him this year at the academy. but she was more worried about his early start at being a ninja.
Naruto touched both of his upper arms briefly, and felt the hitai-ate on his forehead, seeming to find comfort on its familiar pressure. He then smiled, his first true smile at his friends. Hinata blushed as she saw his smile; she was delighted to finally see a smile that reached her crush's eyes.
"Well, I really have to graduate early, I have found precious persons who acknowledge me for my strength. They expect great things from me, as much as I expect great things for myself. Besides, I'm sure you're all going to catch up to me next time we meet; a year isn't really that long anyway. Well...I have to go and see which team I'm placed in. I expect to see all of you next year as genin, ok?"
He then shook Kiba's hand and patted Akamaru, scratching behind his ears and his neck. He then touched Shikamaru on his shoulder, and nodded at Chouji and Shino. Naruto then approached Hinata, he didn't know why he needed to say farewell to the girl, and he guessed it was because Hinata's the only girl who notices him for who he is. Hinata stood up as he approached, already blushing shades redder than usual while avoiding to look at the face of her crush. Naruto nodded at her and started to talk, good thing Hinata managed to cover up the fact that she jumped, startled by her crush's voice as he began to speak.
"Well Hinata, I expect to see you next year with your team, ok? I know you're going to make it as a genin. Good luck on the academy this year." He smiled as he extended his hand. Hinata looked up, but instead of reaching for Naruto's hand, she gave him a brief hug, to which she pulled back off as quickly. Naruto never noticed her tomato-red expression as she lowered her head, never looking back at her crush's gaze on her.
"G-g-good l-l-luck Na-Naruto-k-kun..." spoke the blue-haired girl as she ran off. The four boys had different expressions as they watched Hinata go. Kiba had a mischievous grin on his face as he looked at his partner.
"Hmmn, looks like someone has a crush on someone, right Akamaru?" Akamaru barked as he grinned like only a dog can. Shikamaru said something about girls being troublesome. Chouji just nodded as he opened another bag of chips, while Shino stayed silent. Naruto was clueless as ever, emitting a "Huh?" he then shrugged it off, as it was a typical behavior of Hinata. He then waved goodbye to his classmates, and walked to the senior classroom on the academy where the newly graduate genins were placed in teams.
As his form disappeared inside the building, Kiba grumbled. "No fair...becoming genin earlier than us..." Shino turned to look at Kiba.
"Jealous?" The bug-user ninja asked. Kiba growled as Akamaru whined at his partner.
"A little..." Chouji swallowed his chips before adding his opinion.
"Well, from what Naruto said to us, his early graduation just put a lot of pressure on him." Shikamaru added his two-cents to the conversation.
"So troublesome...well, I just hope he can handle that pressure." Shino turned his gaze to the academy building, ordering one of his bugs to spy on Naruto.
"I believe that Naruto deserves the title of the most unpredictable ninja, I think we'll all be surprised on his progress a year later." Chouji and Shikamaru nodded their assent to the Aburame's statement. While Kiba just snorted. "We'll see…after this last year at the academy, we're going to be genin, just like him."
Meanwhile Hinata's sprint didn't take her far, just outside the room where her cousin's class was waiting for their team placements, seeing Naruto go inside, she hid behind the side of the building. Clasping her hands together, she sent a prayer of luck for her crush.
"Ganbatte Naruto-kun, please take care of yourself, and may kami make you grow stronger." As she was saying this a black speck landed on her shoulder, seemingly intent on observing the events in the room, much like what the lavender-eyed girl is doing at the moment.
Iruka looked at this year's batch of graduates, he thought for a moment which of them would make it to this year's batch of genin. He then noticed Naruto's presence as he walked into the room, noticing his new attire. He nodded his approval at his student's new appearance. Naruto gave him a nod and a small grin as he took a seat somewhere on the middle of the classroom. Iruka watched Naruto make his way to an empty seat, his thoughts focused on his soon-to-be former student as he grinned.
"Well, maybe Naruto will break tradition again, and instead we'll have ten genins graduating this year." When he felt that there wasn't going to be a latecomer, he cleared his throat as he started his speech.
Naruto walked into room 109, instead of his usual classroom number 105. As he entered the classroom he noticed half of the graduating class were there already, including Iruka. His sensei nodded as he walked in the room, he then gave his sensei a grin and a nod, while he waited for his name to be called for his team placement. After a few minutes he heard Iruka clear his voice, which started the meeting.
"Good morning to all of you and congratulations on passing the genin exam. Today you will be placed on three-man teams, along with a Jounin sensei, to make up a genin cell to start off your careers as ninjas of the leaf. After the team announcements, you will stay in this classroom to wait for your Jounin-sensei to pick you up. Now, usually a graduating class consists of 27 to 30 genins. This year we have an exception, as one of you came from a junior class, but managed to wing the exam to pass." Naruto had a small grin on his face, as his sensei Iruka acknowledged him yet again.
"Because of this situation, one team from this year's graduating class will have four genins in one cell. Now, for the team assignments: Team One..."
Sarutobi looked at the assembled Jounins as he talked about what to expect from this year's batch of genins, and what the mechanics of some of the newly promoted Jounins' genin survival exam would be. He then looked at the more experienced, senior Jounins, who seem bored of the talks and were just listening.
After some more deliberation from the new Jounin, he dismissed the meeting; some of the Jounins were excited to gather their cell, while others still lounged around the meeting room. After all, the academy just needed nine or ten Jounins for each graduating batch, and of the thirty or so students, only nine will make genin.
"Maybe…maybe just this year…" Sarutobi grinned to himself, recalling Iruka's report of Naruto severely injuring Mizuki with a hundred plus shadow replications, with the blonde himself leading the charge to avenge his already waning honor. The third then focused his attention on a rather noisy corner of the room.
A Jounin in a green leotard and orange leg warmers was talking to a masked Jounin, who had gravity-defying silver-gray hair, his hitai-ate covering one eye. The latter ignoring the former's attempts to challenge him, as was usually the typical, day-to-day interaction of the two. The Hokage recognized the 'Eternal Rivals' Copycat Nin Sharingan Kakashi and the Green Beast of Konoha, Maito Gai. Sarutobi called out to the somewhat weird Jounin. Well…the weirder Jounin of the two.
"Gai..."
Instantly, he found Gai, who was on the other side of the room, already on his side. The third generation fire shadow shook his head mentally. Weird he may be, but the Hokage recognizes Gai's prowess in Taijutsu. Sandaime was contemplating his choice of words to say at Gai, so that he can get the best answer from one of his elite Jounin.
Sandaime had just gathered his thoughts as he looked at Konoha's proud Green Beast, and then spoke. "What would be your answer, if I said…that you're going to be part of an experimental training program…to teach a four-man cell of genin, instead of the usual three-man cell?" Gai proudly beat his chest and raised his arms.
"Of course I would accept, Hokage-sama! This is a fine opportunity for me! But first they would have to pass my test! It is true that teaching a four-man cell of genin will not be an easy task, but I will be delighted to teach them! I will also have a victory over my eternal rival Kakashi, as he has never passed a team! Given time and my exceptional training methods, they will in no doubt, grow to be the strongest genin in the village! Because I am Maito Gai! The Proud Green Beast of Konoha! And I strive to never fail a task assigned to me!" Gai shouted as he struck up the nice guy pose and smiled, the glint of his teeth mildly blinding the Hokage for a second.
Kakashi turned a bored eye to his 'eternal rival' across the room for a second. He then diverted his attention back to the book he was reading, labeled 'Icha Icha paradise vol. 3'. Kakashi had a bored tone as he spoke to his 'eternal rival'.
"Hn? Did you just say something Gai?" Hearing the usual words, Gai's face turned red in embarrassment as waterfall-wide tears poured from his eyes and cascaded down his face, all the while shaking a finger at his eternal rival.
"Oooooh! As expected of my eternal rival! Brushing me off completely with his cool, hip ways!" The Hokage broke Gai's musings and ordered the Green Beast to pick up the team assigned to his command already. As Gai left the meeting room in a green blur with his team's names, Kakashi closed his book and casually strolled out the door. The Hokage gave a pointed look behind the Copy ninja's back. Given his reputation of punctual lateness, it would be a while before picking his potential students up. Sarutobi's thoughts then turned back on the scroll of seals.
"I really have to discuss that footnote with those two..."
Naruto paid attention as Iruka announced the names for the genin teams. After reading the names for team eight, everyone realized that the last team roster that Iruka will be reading would consist of four members. "...And last, but definitely not the least, Team Nine: Hyuuga Neji, Kirimai Tenten, Rock Lee…and Uzumaki Naruto."
There were murmurs from almost the entire senior class
"Uzumaki? Who's that?"
"That kid who my mom calls a 'freak' "
"Oh yeah! That prankster kid who painted the Hokages' faces on the monument about a dozen times..."
"Oh...'That Naruto' kid..."
"…Who's Naruto?"
"…"
"Where's Naruto…" One graduate said as he was looking at a game book, trying to find 'Naruto' instead of Arnold.
Suddenly, Naruto felt the temperature drop a notch as he was subjected to some of the coldest, and hardest stares he had to endure in his lifetime, half the reason being the senior class disliked him because of his pranks, half reason being the self-proclaimed 'The collective Neji fan girls of Konoha tm.' glowered at him for being picked to be in their idol's team, but mostly because their parents told their children to avoid him and hate him with a passion they did not care to explain themselves. Naruto shuddered in anger.
"Kuso...this is like Sasuke-teme's fan club all over again...damn those stares, can't see that i'm not Kyuubi? I'm just a vessel for the demon damn it!"
Sensing the rise of hostility levels, Iruka closed the roster folder with a snap, catching the attention of a whole class.
"Like I said prior to reading the team placements, please stay here until your Jounin sensei picks you up. Good luck to all of you, and may your careers be fruitful." Iruka nodded as he said farewell to the class, nodding at Naruto as the blonde gave him a grateful smile. Exiting the door, he proceeded to room 109, where Naruto's classmates were waiting for him, to teach them again for another year.
After Iruka left the class separated into their respected teams, Naruto then noticed the other people that would make up his team.
"Hmmn...That must be Hyuuga Neji; he also has pupil-less eyes like Hinata. I wonder how they're related..." He then paid attention to the only girl in their group, who was absently playing with a kunai.
"Tenten huh? Looks like she likes weapons, if she's not like one Sasuke's fan girls, we'll get along rather nicely." His musings were broken by a voice that sat beside him.
"Excuse me, are you Uzumaki Naruto?" Naruto turned his head to the voice and smiled. "Yes, i'm Uzumaki Naruto, pleased to meet you…and you are...?" Naruto held out his hand, the other boy promptly grasped his hand and shook it with a little more eagerness than usual.
"Hello Uzumaki-san, I am Rock Lee, it's a pleasure to meet you!" Naruto then observed his teammate, He wore a white undershirt with loose sleeves, along with a light-green Chinese style jacket, which was opened fully and seemed to conform to his undershirt. He also wore matching pants of the same style and color. His hitai-ate was worn in the traditional style on his forehead, the cloth of the hitai-ate in bright red.
Naruto then noticed his big round eyes and the caterpillar-like eyebrows, with a cartoon-esque three eyelashes on the bottom of his eyes completing his look. Naruto squashed the urge to shudder, looks did not matter. Rock Lee was a potential teammate, ally, and friend. Lee then sighed out loud, which broke Naruto's musings and urge to shudder.
"I think it's fair to warn you Uzumaki-san-" "Just call me Naruto, Lee-san. It'll be easier for both of us." At this Lee smiled, but sighed again as his face turned sad. "As I was saying Naruto-san, it's fair to warn you...that i'm the dead last of the class." Naruto frowned at this statement.
"Why are you dead last then?" Lee then stared straight into Naruto's eyes. "I can't mold chakra. I can't perform jutsus, even the most basic ones like Kawarimi, Henge, and Bunshin no jutsu. From the start of my academy schooling until now, I still can't do a single jutsu." Naruto's eyes then scrunched up to his fox mode.
"So what?"
Lee's head, which was beginning to droop closer and closer to the desk, suddenly shot up.
"Eh? Why don't you care if cannot mold chakra? The others students and my teachers…"
Naruto then signaled Lee to pause for a moment, and gave Lee one of his true smiles. "So what if you can't mold chakra? Hell..."
At that moment Naruto edged closer to Lee and whispered as to how he almost didn't graduate early with his crap Bunshin, and how he made up for it by learning Kage Bunshin, he excluded the part about getting tricked and stealing the scroll of seals, and seeing the past and present Hokages, but included the part where he beat Mizuki with his Kage Bunshin. As he finished his story Naruto gave Lee a foxy grin.
"See Lee? Even people like us prevail sometime! To tell you the truth, i'm also the dead last of my batch." Lee's eyes filled with tears as he hugged Naruto. "Naruto-kun! You are an embodiment of us dead lasts!" Naruto just laughed nervously and patted Lee awkwardly, earning him some glares and some curious stares.
After Lee had a good cry on Naruto's vest, they both smiled as they swapped some stories of their adventures inside and outside of class. Lee told Naruto of Maito Gai, a Jounin of Konoha whom he looked up to. Lee explained that he was a Taijutsu specialist, and he thought that maybe Lee could follow in his footsteps. Naruto then told Lee that it was possible that he can also be a Taijutsu specialist. Lee went back to normal totally after Naruto's encouragement.
Naruto then narrated all of his pranking days before, and during the academy. Needless to say the two had formed a fast friendship, and were treating each other as buddies, even before Gai came.
Eventually, Neji and Tenten, who introduced themselves to the two boys, joined them. Tenten was ok in Naruto's book, as she even swapped her own tales with the two boys. It was needless to say that the Hyuuga was off in his own little world, in which he explained as meditation. "More like brooding...Like someone I know..." Naruto thought.
Sasuke sneezed loudly just after the comment was made about him four doors away, which earned him with an accurate hit of a chalk eraser to the face courtesy of Iruka, who thought it was Naruto disrupting the class again. This earned a snicker from a certain Inuzuka and a bark from his dog companion, a grin from a Nara and an Akimichi, a small grin hidden behind a hand of a certain shy, lavender-eyed girl, and a hidden smirk under the collar of a bug-controlling, sunglasses-wearing boy.
Their movements were unnoticed as their chuunin sensei slash distraction apologized to the dark-haired avenger slash ice-cube slash idol slash fantasy of every girl from 8 to 50 slash hot guy slash bishounen slash seme slash asshole slash bastard slash traitor-to-be slash...well, you get the picture!
Besides, they were far away enough from the Uchiha and his fan club to warrant a glare from any one of them. Sasuke's anger intensified as his most ardent 'stalkers' fussed over his face, which earned him and the two kunoichi-to-be an eraser each, saturated with chalk, this time because the three were being too loud, earning them even more laughs and snickers and smirks. Paying attention to their own faces they sighed, as the source of their misfortune, and now anger, wasn't there anymore.
They then realized that Naruto had just played a prank on them, even if he wasn't in the room or the immediate area, they dropped their heads in defeat, as they once again performed 'synchronized thinking' for the second time that day.
"Damn that Naruto..."
When Naruto goes to bed tonight, he'll fall asleep with the widest and truest grin in his eleven year-old life. Feeling that justice had been served, at least for today.
Naruto pulled his kitsune hankie just in time to catch his sneeze in the cloth, with Lee saying "Bless you." and Tenten saying "Gezundheit." Neji just said, "Don't spread your germs on me." And returned to his brooding slash meditation.
Eventually the Jounins came in, and called their respective teams to move out. Each team then followed the Jounin assigned to them. About a third of the teams were now gone in the time span of 30 minutes.
After a few minutes more the door to the room swung open violently, catching an unfortunate graduate off guard, who toppled 11 other people when he crashed into them going at 50 mph. Needless to say, three genin teams were already injured, and they haven't even undergone their genin survival exam yet.
As the dust settled, the graduates in the room noticed that; one, Twelve of their classmates were in a tangled mess of bodies, some were even in a very compromising position, which the conscious ones capitalized on and mentally noted in their minds to tease their unconscious peers whether they were in the right gender group, or whether they had crushes on the wrong people. And two; there was a weird Jounin at the door with a brightness to his teeth that almost rivaled the sun itself, and was parading around in a green leotard with orange leg warmers.
Speaking in his 'indoor voice', the Jounin introduced himself...which shook the entire first floor in the process.
The dark-haired avenger managed to change seats, pondering that maybe his bad luck was affected by where he sat, and reasoned that whenever his 'most loyal fan girls' A/N: translate: rabid stalkers Sakura and Ino sat beside him, bad luck was abound. Little did he know that the author of this AU fic was controlling his luck. Who unfortunately for him; didn't like his guts.
As Gai used 'his indoor voice', the whole first floor shook. Iruka had a vein on his forehead as Gai continued speaking. Having popped his vein as the whole floor shook several times more, Iruka reached into his pouch and pulled out a set of what he thought was blunt, wooden kunai, he always threw these at Naruto whenever he became too overbearing when the erasers weren't doing their job.
Throwing them absent mindedly, he waited for the sounds of the kunai to hit his intended target, along with an 'Itte!' and a curse word or two, or so he thought. At the shrieks of "Kyaa!" and "Sasuke-kun!", he realized he made a mistake.
Sasuke sat on his haunches while gripping the top of his chair, an awesome feat in itself, but it was overshadowed by the reason that he needed to keep his reproductive parts whole. Sasuke was apparently, sitting on Naruto's second favorite spot in the class. A newly bought, razor-edged kunai, barely missed 'Sasuke's Prized Jewels tm.' by a hair's width. A millimeter more and...Pity! No more chance to revive the Uchiha clan!
Checking where his other kunai went, his eyes bugged out as he saw that Ino and Sakura barely managed to avoid his other kunai. They were unfortunately, seated on Naruto's 3rd and 4th favorite spot in class, respectively. Ino was barely saved by her waist size, it didn't stop the kunai to draw blood on her skin though, not to mention that a grinning Nara pulled her out of the way at the last second, which deemed her reason for dieting to the Nara male as "troublesome".
Sakura, being the smarter girl of the two, just ducked, but the kunai still managed to shred a length of her hair, just above the ear. The cut hair then pooled by the floor, proof of the kunai's sharpness, her long hair was now uneven in length, if she was any more unluckier, and the kunai had flown some angles higher, she would be half-bald by now. Hey! At least that big forehead of hers was useful for something! Two other kunai, fortunately or unfortunately, whichever way you call it, almost killed two of Sasuke's other fan girls.
Unbridled laughter was showered upon the unfortunate five by the rest of the class, especially the now dubbed 'Annoying Trio'. Sobering up quickly though, the rest of the class who didn't want anything to do with Sasuke's unusual bad luck avoided him like a plague until the end of class day. In turn, Sasuke avoided Sakura and Ino, as well as his fan club, in the same manner. The collective Sasuke fan girls of Konoha tm avoided their president and vice president like their life depended on it, while the rest of the class looked on in amusement. For them, this day was starting to be very, very, interesting. And it wasn't even lunchtime yet!
'The Annoying Trio' sighed, and hoped 'in sync' that their bad luck was over. As they mused their thoughts, the trio heard a disembodied and malevolent male cackle, which didn't bode very well for them. Once again with one thought in mind, they cursed their misfortune on one person, who seemed to be pranking them with a vengeance, even though he wasn't there at all.
"Damn that Naruto..."
Maito Gai's 'indoor voice' shook the classroom as he spoke with enthusiasm. Naruto's sneeze didn't even interrupt his speech. "Yosh! I have come to pick up team nine! Hyuuga Neji! Kirimai Tenten! Rock Lee! And Uzumaki Naruto!" After hearing their names, team nine stood up and approached their sensei-to-be. Gai looked at Tenten, Neji, and Naruto with an observant eye. Lee then greeted Gai excitedly and bowed.
Another Jounin entered just minutes after Gai opened the door, and called out to team eight. Team Eight got up and followed their assigned Jounin out of the classroom.
"Maito-sama! It's been a long time!" Gai then looked at Lee and bowed as well. "Yes Lee-kun, It's been a long while since we last met each other! Well then, we have to get going. The burning passion of youth awaits! Follow me and try to keep up!" At this Gai disappeared in a green blur out of the academy. Naruto's eyes widened.
"Fast..."
Neji and Tenten just sweatdropped at Gai and Lee's interaction. Lee was first out of the door, following Gai in a sprint. Tenten and Neji followed him while Naruto held the rear, their direction heading to the farthest corner of the academy, populated by covered and elevated resting places, which looked like pagodas.
With three teams on the floor, injured, but nonetheless followed their Jounins later, and Team Nine being called to follow the Jounin sensei assigned to them, and having left already, only one team of graduates was left to wait for their sensei.
Unfortunately…they will have to wait three more hours before their sensei finally decided to pick them up.
Cosmic Irony? You be the judge, dear readers…
After the sprint they climbed one of the balconies where Gai was standing. Lee arrived first, followed by Naruto, Neji, and lastly Tenten. Gai observed their breathing and found that Naruto was the least-winded by the run, followed by Lee. Neji and Tenten breathing harder the most out of the four. Asking them to sit surrounding him, he began their meeting.
"Good morning! I am Maito Gai! A Jounin of Konoha! I have been picked to teach you four passionate youth! This team, according to our great and kind Hokage-sama, is an experimental type of team, as a regular genin team consists of four people, a jounin sensei and three genins to make one cell, Hokage-sama has decided to experiment and put together a genin cell composed of four genins and a sensei! Now, how about you graduates introduce yourselves to me, tell the Green Beast of Konoha what your likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, etcetera, are!"
After a second of silence Lee stood up. "Sir! I am Rock Lee, twelve years old! I like Training and my adoptive parents! Since they have taken care of me since I was an orphan! I dislike people telling me that I have no potential as a ninja! My hobbies are exercising and strengthening my body! My dream is to prove that I can be a powerful ninja using only Taijutsu and physical strength!" Gai nodded and showed Lee his nice guy pose, Lee then beamed back at his sensei. Neji just scoffed loudly, and the others turned to him for an explanation.
"Heh, a ninja using only Taijutsu and physical strength? You have no place to be a ninja if you can't use jutsu. That was your fate from the beginning of your studies at the academy. You are not destined to be a ninja. " After Neji finished Naruto growled at him and clenched his fist. Lee was saddened by Neji's remark, while Tenten frowned.
"I don't think so."
All of them looked up at Gai. "A Ninja who doesn't use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu exists! And you're looking at him!" He shouted as he beat his chest. "Although I can use Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, I choose not to use them! As my eternal rival Kakashi-kun excels at Ninjutsu and can see through most Genjutsu with his Sharingan! That is why I have chosen Taijutsu as my specialty!" Lee visibly brightened at that remark.
After hearing this new information, Naruto raised his hand. "Who is this 'Kakashi' you're talking about sensei? And what is the Sharingan?" Gai turned his head at his blonde student-to-be.
"Hatake Kakashi, Also known throughout the Shinobi world as 'Copycat Nin Sharingan Kakashi, master of a thousand jutsu.' A genius ninja, he graduated from the academy at age five, became Chuunin at six, a Jounin at twelve, and ANBU Captain by fourteen. Under his hitai-ate, he hides the bloodline limit of the Uchiha, given to him by his friend. A Sharingan lies covered in his left eye. When he brings it out in a battle, he can copy most Ninjutsu, see through the toughest Genjutsu, and evade most styles of Taijutsu. But enough of him today, our focus is on you and our team, and because you asked a question, you shall be next!" Naruto nodded in compliance and stood up.
"Hello to all of you, I am Uzumaki Naruto, eleven years old, I was an academy student a year behind you, until yesterday when I managed to convince Iruka-sensei to let me take my graduation exam early. I like ramen, people who see me for who I am, and not what I am, and training myself to be a better ninja. I dislike the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook, and people who hate me with a passion, with coldness in their eyes and who stare me down as though I am the lowest kind of person. Like Lee, I also dislike people who put me down and say that I will never amount to anything. When I found out the reason why they hate me, I resolved to myself that one of my goals is to try and convince them that their hatred for me was misplaced. I also hate other people that bully other people or put them down, like what they do to me. My hobbies are eating ramen, training, and pranking anyone and everyone who mistreat me. My dream...is to one day be Hokage, to prove to the people who hate me that their hatred and anger against me was misplaced, and to prove my existence to be worth something!" Naruto sat down, his speech awed Gai, Lee, and Tenten.
Gai nodded at his student. "Yosh! Your passion is burning brightly Naruto-kun! As your sensei, I will help you in the difficult path that you have chosen! I will help you take the path of Hokage!" Naruto smiled at his sensei, who was also smiling back at him. Neji then narrowed his eyes at Naruto, his eyes filled with a condescending look.
"Hokage? A person like you, wants to be Hokage? Fate chooses who should be Hokage. The fire shadows of Konohagakure no Sato, whose faces are seen on the Hokage Memorial, were destined from birth to be Hokage. An idiot like you does not have the Hokage destiny in his fate. You should give up your dream and focus on more 'attainable dreams'."
Hearing Neji's speech, Naruto just clenched his bandaged arms and shuddered as he controlled his fury. "C-Control yourself Naruto, sh-shikari-shio…remember what Iruka told you last night…think before you act. You're determined to change yourself right? Just ignore his speech and focus on rebutting his statement."
Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, while counting in his mind to twenty, Naruto opened his eyes, which still had a small amount of fury in them. Nonetheless, the voice he let out was calm and controlled.
"True, I wasn't fated to be Hokage yesterday, you were right about that. But that fate has been changed. I will attain the rank of 'Kage, maybe not now, but someday. But even if it weren't my fate and destiny to be Hokage, I would still want to attain it. To be Hokage was, and still is, my childhood dream. To be respected and acknowledged by everyone. I also want to protect this village, even after all that they have done to me."
Gai, Lee, and Tenten, all let out a relieved sigh, never realizing they were holding their breath at the tension that Neji instantly created, which Naruto dispelled just as easily. Gai shook his head at the future arguments these two will spark if they passed as genins, and motioned to Tenten that it was her turn. She then stood up and introduced herself.
"I am Kirimai Tenten, twelve years old, I like my family, especially my mom and dad. I also like weapons, training with weapons, and seeing my dad and mom make weapons. I like looking after our weapons store the most, and seeing the satisfied look our costumers have in their face when they use them, and when they keep coming back to buy more. I dislike people who use weapons carelessly, and don't take care of them properly. I also don't like bullies who hurt people who can't defend themselves. My hobbies are helping my mom and dad with making weapons, and trying out weapons, which my mom and dad are inventing or experimenting. My dream is to one day be a powerful and high-ranking kunoichi, like my idol Tsunade-sama, one of the three Sannin of Konoha." Tenten sat down after delivering her speech.
Gai motioned over to Neji. Standing while still while opening his closed eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, Neji spoke with a voice filled with underlying contempt and hate.
"I am Hyuuga Neji, twelve years old. I am a member of the Hyuuga Clan branch house. I like training and my family, especially my deceased father. I hate the Main House and their way of ruling the Hyuuga Clan, especially the Clan Head, Hyuuga Hiashi, who is my uncle, as well as his family. I also hate the caged bird seal. I have no hobbies. My dream is to someday prove that the Branch House is stronger than the main house."
As Neji sat back down, Gai broke the tension everyone felt from the white-eyed boy with his booming voice. "Well then! Now that the introductions are over, we are going to do something, which will involve just the four of us!" Naruto raised his hand. "What will we be doing, Gai-sensei?" Gai motioned for Naruto to wait for his explanation, and handed the four genins a computer printout.
"Before we become an official genin team, and do missions and other team-bonding activities like training and such, I will have to give you an exam, a survival exam." The genins looked at him, puzzled.
"What the academy does not tell you and the fresh graduates of each year, is that after graduation, the Jounins give the graduates assigned to them a final exam. Out of the 27 or 30 graduates, or in this year's case of 28 graduates…only three teams, usually nine graduates, will make this year's batch of genins. But since there are four of you, ten genins could graduate this year, a rare exception, in itself. It is rare for Chuunin senseis to approve the early graduation of a student.
That is why this exam has a 66 percent chance of failure. The final exam, or what Jounins generally call: 'The Genin Survival Exam tm.' will vary depending on the Jounin, those who don't pass the survival exam are sent back to the academy for further lessons and instruction, until next year.
As I am the one giving the graduation exam, it will be more difficult than usual. In this survival exam I will be testing your initial abilities, and then I'll assess what you have to work on in your skills. Now, i'm giving you a choice to take your survival exam today, or we can do it tomorrow. Which one will you choose, Team Nine?"
End Chapter.
A/N: Whew! Finally ended this chapter. This one took a bit of time to write, as I don't have reference on Gai and Lee's interactions before Lee became a 'Gai Clone' as you noticed Naruto's becoming quieter and a bit more inquiring. Also Gai must have been a bit OOC because I don't have much on his speech patterns and what he always says to his team or Lee.
I also chose Naruto's crush on 'his Sakura-Chan' to be non-existent. A little Naruto x Hinata interaction here, but still innocent and Naru is still clueless. As for the Sasuke-fans...Hey, I like Sasuke-bashing! So sue me! I also thought a bit of humor in some chapters of the fic would be good.
As always, please voice your opinions on the review button.
A/N2: This is only a preview, it can and will be changed on the final draft of the next chapter. But rest assured, what you will be reading will come out in a somewhat modified form next chapter.
Now, -begins sealing- it's time for: Preview no Jutsu!
Preview, Chapter 3: of footnotes, the Savior, and the Dual Extreme.
…Anje then reached into his tattered do-gi and pulled out a small, but thick scroll. "This scroll contains the theory, forms, and usage of the dual extreme, as well as a small history on how I came up with the style.
...Following the Hokage into his private quarters, Naruto saw that the scroll he stole was opened all the way where the Hokages' letter to the Savior of Konoha was located. Iruka looked puzzled as he approached the note of the Hokages, and the dated footnote under it, which was dated just yesterday. Iruka looked at the Hokage with a puzzled face. "What is this footnote doing here, Hokage-sama?" Sarutobi blew on his pipe "I believe Naruto-kun can explain what it is. Iruka-kun..." They then both looked pointedly at Naruto. Who gulped loudly as twilight settled on Konoha.
"I am SO screwed..."
A/N3: I'm Back! This writing thing is somewhat getting easy. I also appreciate the reviews you're giving me, good, bad, or ugly. I hope I won't disappoint all of you. Now, to answer some reviews! Chapter 1 reviewers for now, I'll do chapter 2 reviewers on chapter 3, so please don't be disappointed!
Dragonman 180: Thank you for reviewing, Yes, Naruto really has lots of potential; some people just have to push him in the right direction. If you have read the fic 'Foxhound' by Kraken's Ghost, Kakashi acknowledges Naruto as a 'Potential Incarnate' a little too late after the fact he ignored him for years. Just shows how biased Kakashi was before Sasuke's defection. The pairings are still up in the air, sorry about that, but your vote has been acknowledged. About Naruto stopping Neji's obsession in fate and destiny? Well, we'll see -winks-
neosildrake: too powerful? Nope, he'll start a little weaker than his manga and anime self, although the freakish stamina is there, that's all there is at the moment. He will have to learn Mokuton and Suiton jutsus from scratch. But I will give him something that, I hope, will keep him up to Lee's level. The pairings are still up in the air, but your vote is acknowledged. For now i'm focusing on character development for Naruto and the rest. If you have any suggestions then send me an e-mail or a private message. Thank you for reviewing.
Dj Rodriguez: I'll try to post updates at least weekly, but don't count on it too much. Your vote has been acknowledged, but are you voting for both? I don't know if Naru Ino is possible in my fic. But if you have to vote again, please vote for one pairing only. That also applies to the other readers.
granite69: Yeah, I do as well. My opinion is that Naruto's potentials have a better chance of growth under Gai, or any other sensei BESIDES Kakashi. Teaming him up with Sasuke was a bad idea from the start. In 'Foxhound' by Kraken's ghost Tsunade said to Kakashi that he made the same mistakes Sandaime did, he Sarutobi invested on the wrong ninja Orochimaru instead of Jiraiya like what he Kakashi did Sasuke instead of Naruto Well, About Naru shoving his tongue down Hina's throat...eww. I haven't come across some fics like that. But if you want to read some good stories just look at my profile's favorite authors and stories. I think it's a good start. Also check out 'Kyuubi's Gou' by Urufukiba22. It's epic-length. It's NaruHina. And Naruto doesn't fall for Hinata until about halfway to the fic. An example of a good Naru x Hina fic.
dragonzice: Yes, Gai's team but with Naruto as the fourth genin. I believe that in the anime Tsunade suggested in a meeting that every genin team, or a squad of chuunin, has to have an extra member who knows field medicine and healing and basic battle support. I don't know yet if Naru will take up the healing part, but he will be the main backup of Team Gai.
Wrath of Air: Cool name! Well, i'm still working on my paragraphs so please bear with me. I'm still working on the pairings, but I think it's still up in the air, let's see what my muse says. If I have one -grins- but your vote is acknowledged.
Gozen V: Thank you for the compliment. Naruto fics are so diverse, so i'm flattered to hear that my fic is somewhat original. I'll take a look at your faves when I have the time.
demon-sword: This is my first multi-chaptered fic, so I have some enthusiasm doing this. I agree with you when I say that a lot of people abandon a lot of fics with high potentials to be a good read. Reviews fuel a writer's inspiration, so keep them coming. I'll try to update regularly as possible, but i'm not making any promises.
vanessa200078582atyahoodotcom: Anonymous? Well I'll try to keep you on the edge, I think. Thank you for reviewing.
imaginaryfriend101: Another Anonymous? Please believe me when I say that Naruto won't be the usual loudmouth, annoying brat that he is. He'll mellow down, somewhat. Pairings is still in the air, but your vote is acknowledged. Naruto won't be too powerful too fast. He has a lot of things to do before he gets to that level, and when he does... May Kami have pity on Sasuke-teme AND Kakashi, because i'm going to have Naruto wipe the floor with them -evil cackle-
the benjamin: Yes, he has a lot of training ahead of him...I plan on him to kick Sasuke's ice-cold ass, and then some. Yes, Naru x Tenten is very rare. But like I said the pairings are still up in the air. But keep convincing me what pairing should be in this fic.
Zero: I think i'm getting what you're saying, please continue to read this fic, i'm still working on my writing skills so please bear with me.
Merkitten: Cute name, the pairings are still up in the air, as I'd really like to work on character development of Team Gai, especially Naruto.
Witheringwings: Yes, I like the 'mature Naruto' plot device. Kishimoto-sama made him the way he is, but it's just a mask, after all.
Stormraven: Thank you for the review. The Hokage-Naruto interaction was a thought that came to me when I was just starting the fic, i'm glad you found it very interesting. Naruto will acquire the blood limit soon. How will he acquire it? You'll find out soon as well.
EmInArEvOl: Hindi naman masyado, ngayon lang ako nagsimula ng ganitong klase ng fan fiction. Heto, off-student ako kaso may work. Hindi rin ako ganung ka-sipag, masaya ako na may nagbasa ng fanfiction ko na pinoy. Sana mag-review ka ulit
Underdark Ranger: I admit that Naruto was GIVEN scrolls. I admit that Naruto was GIVEN the ability to perform Mokuton Jutsus. I admit that Naruto was GIVEN the ability to draw huge amounts of water from air molecules. I admit that Yondaime made Naruto the heir to his finances and techniques. I admit that Naruto was GIVEN TOOLS AND WEAPONS to further his training. BUT... he still has to LEARN ALL of what was GIVEN to him. And in my fic, he will have to EARN all his skills and abilities.
The Naruto in this fic is a genius of hard work, much like Lee. And he will not be super-powered too soon. Wiping the floor with Sasuke will be his first goal. Kakashi will be next. I have read a lot of fics where Naruto was uber powerful right off the bat. Sure, I like those kinds of fics, but I don't want to emulate those. This Naruto will start off from scratch; weaker than the canon Naruto from the Anime and Manga, the unholy stamina is still there, but that's all there is to the Naruto in this fic. If you keep reading i'm sure you'll understand what i'm saying a few chapters further.
I like each and every opinion a reader bestows on my fic, and I respect each and every one of them. Because I know that it's not easy for some people to hit the review button and post what's on their minds about what they read. If you misunderstood what you have read then I apologize if I mislead you. I assure you that Naruto will EARN all of what you'll be seeing him doing.
Thank you nonetheless for your unbiased and opinionated review. I hope my reply won't cause you to shy away from reading this fic. Please bear with me; like I said in my author's note on the 1st chapter, i'm still learning the ropes of fanfiction writing.
She.Who.Knows: I'll try to update regularly, really, I will TRY. Two stories in cliff hanger mode? I think I'd like to read them if I have any spare time. I guess reading stories is more of my passion than writing them. As fanfiction is directly tied to the Internet, somewhat. I'll try to not be that type of author. I hate stories with potential that don't get updated...
Meinos877: Wow! Meinos-san! I'm surprised that you're reading my fic! It's really an honor that someone who writes really good Naruto fanfiction is reading my fic. I'll try to keep your standards and update as often as I can. Yes, Naruto is on Gai's team. But the pairings are still up in the air, but if you're voting then I'll acknowledge your vote. Arigatou for reviewing! -bows- -
To: cartoonwatcher, Meca Vegeta, Kage, hells-fox, genbo, IceDragonLover, Honebar, donnaficfan, LordMyst, InfiniteFreedom, and Pite: Thank you for the reviews! I'll try to update regularly as soon as I can!